Car-coupling.



No. 692,850. Patented-Feb. ll, I902.

P. T. HANDIGES.

GAB COUPLING.

(Application filed Apr. is, 1901. (No Model.) 2 S heets$heet l.

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No. 692,850. Patented Feb.ll, I902.

P. T. HANDIGES.

CAR COUPLING (Application ma Apr. 19, 1901.

( No Model.) 2 Sheets$heet 2.

' Mfrs E8653. I INVEIJVTOIR.

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'UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP T. HANDIGES, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNEASSIGNMENTS, TO THOMAS H. SIMPSON, TRUSTEE, AND MICHIGAN MALLEABLE IRON00., or DETROIT, MIonIGAN,.A ooRPoRA IoN or MICHIGAN.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 692,850, dated. February11, 1902;

Application filed April 13, 1901.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PHILIP T. HANDIGES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State of Michigan, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Oar-Couplers; and I declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification.

My invention has reference to certain new and usefulimprovements incar-couplers, and has among its objects Superior simplicity and economyof construction and operation.

To this end my invention consists of the construction, combination, andarrangement of devices and appliances hereinafter described and claimed,and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aView in vertical section, showing parts in elevation. Fig. 2 is a viewvin horizontal section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, looking up, the figurebeing inverted. Fig. 3 is a similar section showing the locking-pin inlocked position, said section looking downward. Fig. 4 is a detailviewof the lockingpin in elevation. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same. Fig.6 is a horizontal section on the line 6 6, Fig. 4. Fig. '7 is aninverted plan View of the pin. Fig. 8 is a view in perspective of theknuckle-opening device or rocking lever. Fig. 9 is aview in elevation,showinga lifting device forlifting the locking-pin.

Fig. 10 is a view of the draw-bar, partly in vertical section, showingparts in elevation,

the locking-pin being removed. Fig. 11 is a view in horizontal sectionon the line 2 2, Fig.

1, with the knuckle removed. Fig. 12 is a view partly in front elevationand partly in vertical cross-section. Fig. 13 is a plan view.

' Heretofore in analogous devices if the knuckle is closed when notconnected with another car it has been necessary in order to make acoupling for the party making the coupling first to step in front of thecar and lift the pin. and open the knuckle, which has been found to be adangerous proceeding.

I Myinvention isdesigned toprovide means Serial No.55,6l6. (No model.)

Except as hereinafter described the draw- '60 bar head and knuckle maybe of ordinary construction within the scope of my invention, the headbeing .formed'with a vertical orifice extended therethrough, as shown ata, for the reception of a locking-pin or analogous device, (indicated at0-.) The head is formed with a shelf or flange at a, projecting into theorifice a above the knuckle-receiving chamber. The shelf is preferablylocated upon the front wall of the orifice a; but I do notlimit myselfthereto. I

The locking device 0, it will be understood, may be connected to anysuitable lifting de-' vice and is constructed with a shoulder c toengage and seat upon the shelf a of the head. The lower end of the pinprojects below the shoulder a, said shoulder preferably extendingdiagonally across the pin, as shown, leaving the lower projecting end ofthe pin of corresponding form. The'shoulder'o' is also pref- 8o erablycutaway on a bevel or slight are on its inner surface, as indicated at 6The pin is formed with a longitudinalopening or recess, (indicated at 0said recess being closed at the lower end, the pin being formed with a8.5 ledge c at the lower end thereof,said ledge preferably projectinglaterally beyond the upright plane of the body of the pin 'thereabove.

To open the knuckle, I provide a knuckleopening device or rocking lever,(indicated at D and shown in detail in Fig. 8,),said lever provided witha central body portion 1, with an arm 2 at one end thereof to engage inthe recess of the pin G and with an arm 3 at the opposite end thereof tocontact with the ad- 5 jacent face of the knuckle as the lever isproperly actuated and'force the knuckle out of the chamber'of thedraw-head into open po sition'. The lever D has a rocking engagement inthe head of the draw-bar, saidfhead. I00

being suitably chambered to receive the knuckle-opening device. Thelever may be held in place by any suitable means, as by a bolt oranalogous device 6, in front of the body portion 1 thereof. Thisconstruction and arrangement leaves the lever D free to rock within thehead. Said lever is actuated by the locking-pin C and is so located andarranged that the pin may be elevated so as to seat its shoulderc uponthe shelf a of the head without the rocking lever D being operatedthereby. When the pin is thus seated upon said shelf, the ledge c isthereby brought closely under or into contact with the outer end of thearm 2 of said lever. It will be obvious that when the pin 0 is in thisposition further elevation thereof by the lifting device engagedtherewith will cause the ledge c as the pin is lifted to strike the arm2 of the lever D and carry the arm 2 upward, causing the lever D to rockon its body portion 1, thereby lifting the arm 3 and forcing it forwardinto engagement with the adjacent portion of the knuckle, thus openingthe knuckle. When the lever D is in normal position, the arm 3 will dropback into its chamber within the head out of the way of the knuckle,avoiding all liability of breakage in the operation of the coupler. Theinner end of the knuckle is formed with a tailpiece B projectingrearward and outward into a suitable recess or chamber in the head,permitting the inner end of the knuckle to swing into the head out ofthe way of the locking-pin.

In coupling, it will be understood, the pin is first seated upon theshelf a. In unlocking the coupling, when the cars are coupled togetherthe locking-pin C can only be raised high enough to be seated upon theshelf a, this being its position for uncoupling. hen in this position,it does not operate the knuckle-opening device, the knuckle-openingdevice being only operative when the knuckle is closed and not coupledwith another car. In other words, the only time when the knuckle-openingdevice is operative is when the knuckle is closed and not, coupled withanother coupler when it becomes desirable to open the knuckle to make acoupling. When the pin has been elevated sufficiently high to operatethe knucke opener and open the knuckle, the pin is allowed to fall backinto its normal position, the knuckle-opening device falling back bygravity into its normal position also, where it cannot be injured by theclosing of the knuckle. The locking-pin O is knocked oif the shelf a byopening the knuckle, the pin then falling onto the tail of the knuckle.The tail of the knuckle is always under the pin when the knuckle isopen. When the knuckle closes, it rides out from under the pin,permitting the pin to drop into locked position.

It will be observed that the knuckle-opener or lever acts also as aretainer for the locking-pin, inasmuch as the arm 2, projecting into therecess prevents the pin C from being lifted out of the draw-head. Theknuckleopener also serves to seat the pin 0 upon the shelf a, inasmuchas the pin seats itself on the shelf when it strikes against the arm 2of the knuckle-opener as the pin is raised, thereby throwing the upperend of the pin rearward and the lower end of the pin back upon theshelf.

WVhile I do not confine myself to any particular lifting mechanism, yetI show in Fig. 9 a customary crank-arm E, designed to project to theside of the car or otherwise, as may be desired, said crank-armconnected with the pin 0 by a chain e.

What I claim as my invention is-- 1. The combination with acoupler-head, of a swinging knuckle, a verticallymovable locking deviceseating upon a portion of said head when in raised position, and aknuckleopening device actuated by the further lifting of the lockingdevice ofi its seat.

2. The combination with a coupler-head, of a swinging knuckle, avertically movable locking device seating upon a portion of said headwhen in raised position, and a knuckleopening device actuated by thelifting of the locking device oif from its seat, said knuckleopeningdevice restored to normal position by gravity when free to move.

3. The combination with a coupler-head provided with a vertical orificetherein, and with a shelf projecting into the path of said orifice, of aswinging knuckle, a verticallymovable locking pin in said orificeconstructed to seat upon said shelf, and a knuckle-opening deviceactuated by the lifting of the locking device off its seat, saidknuckle-opening device contacting with the locking device causing thelocking device to seat upon said shelf when the locking device is inraised position.

4. The combination with a coupler head, of a swinging knuckle, averticallymovable locking device seating upon a portion of said headwhen in raised position, a lifting device to lift the locking-pin, and aknuckle opening device actuated by the lifting of the locking device,whereby the locking device may be lifted by the lifting device to itsseat in the head, and whereby by a further operation of the liftingdevice, the locking device will actuate the knuckle-opening device toopen the knuckle.

5. The combination with a coupler-head, of a swinging knuckle, a.vertically movable locking-pin seated upon a portion of said head whenin raised position, and constructed with a longitudinally-extendingrecess, and a knuckle-opening device constructed with an arm projectinginto the recess of the locking-pin, said knuckle-opening device actuatedby the lifting of the locking device.

6. The combination with a coupler-head, of a swinging knuckle, avertically movable locking device seating upon a portion of said headwhen in raised position, a knuckleopening device actuated by the liftingof the locking device, said lockingdevice constructed with an elongatedrecess, and with va ledge at its base, and said knuckle-opening deviceconstructed with an arm projecting into said recess above said ledge,

7 The combination witha coupler-head, of

a swinging knuckle, averticallymovable. locking device seating upon aportion of said head when in raised position and a knuckleopening deviceact'uated by the lifting of the locking device, said knuckle-openingdevice constructed with an arm to engage the adjacent end of a knuckleand the oppositeend of the knuckle-opening device constructed with anarm en gageable by the locking device. 8. The combination with acoupler-head, of

a swinging knuckle, a vertically movab1e locking device'seating upon aportion of said head when in raised position, and a knuckleopeningdevice located within a chamber in zo ithehead actuated by the liftingof the lock- .ing device, said knuckleopening deviceserving toretain thelocking device from disengagementfrom the head.

9. The combination With a coupler-head, of 2 5 a swinging knuckle, avertically-movabhe locking device seating upon a portion of said headwhen in raised position, a rocking lever located withina chamber in saidheadjactuated by th e' further lifting ofthe locking de- 30 Vice offitsseat; and means to hold the rock ing lever in place within the head. 4

In testimony whereof I sign this specifica- 3 tion in the presence 'oftwo witnesses. V Y

L PHILIP T. I-IANDIGES. Witnesses:

N. S. ,WRIGHT,

M. HIOKE

